No injuries after train strikes car in North Riverside

Four people who were riding in a car were uninjured after a train struck the vehicle on Cermak Road in North Riverside Friday afternoon.

An eastbound train was going about 12 mph when it struck the maroon 2001 Ford Focus, North Riverside Police Department Sgt. David Kopka said.

The crash occurred about 1:24 p.m. and was cleared about 3:40 p.m., officials said. The crossing was closed during that time, backing up traffic on nearby roads.

The driver had been traveling south on a side street called First Avenue Cutoff. “Instead of turning left onto Cermak, he went straight” over a street divider and into the tracks, where the train struck the rear of the car, Kopka said.

The driver, whose age and residence were not available Friday, was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash, he said.